Midnight Orchestra
by Belles7
Summary: He left her to join that organization and now, her two best friends were taken away from her. Now, after suddenly being transferred into Konoha Leaf High, Sakura discovers the world that he left her for. And just what does she have to say to a slightly older Uchiha? "Fight to keep what's mine, that's what!" Read as Sakura deals with mystery, family and love!


**Midnight Orchestra**

**Chapter 1: The End is the Beginning**

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"_The song of midnight cried out; I truly hate being alone more than anything and from that day on, I learned the hard way of what was important."_

_- Aqua Timez_

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**SAKURA POV:**

Staring out the window, the only thing I can see is the living presence of spring. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping happily. I hate spring. It's the most painful season for me even though it used to be my favorite.

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**NORMAL POV:**

Sakura walked into the foyer, placing a hand on the handle, and stopped moving when her step-mother called out, "Sakura, where are you going?" She turned to look in the direction of the kitchen and replied loud enough for the mother to hear, "I'm going to meet up with some friends. I'll be back later, Mizuki."

Twisting the doorknob, she heard her stepmother remind, "Don't come back too late! You still need to study, Sakura!" The pink haired teen sighed softly, brushing her pink bangs from her face and muttered spitefully, "Study, study, study."

Stepping past the threshold, Sakura hurried out of the Haruno estate and onto the silent street. Glancing at her watch, she smiled. It was two thirty in the afternoon which meant that Naruto and Sasuke would be out of school soon. Naruto and Sasuke were her childhood friends. Unfortunately for Sakura, they attended Konoha Leaf High School whereas she was home schooled.

Running down the sidewalk, Sakura felt a longing emotion to see their faces again. It had been a month since she had last seen the two, partially due to her studying sessions. A smile crept onto her face as she ran down the familiar streets, the route to Konoha Leaf High burned into that smart brain of hers.

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Naruto woke up to the sound of the lovely bell ringing. School was over. With his head laying on his desk, he grinned and looked up at his dark-haired friend, Uchiha Sasuke. Twisting his lips in a scornful manner, Sasuke muttered, "Get up, Dobe. We have to be there on time or else we'll be late." He silently turned around with his black backpack slung over one shoulder and continued to walk out, leaving Naruto to trail after him.

On the way out of the school entrance, Naruto spotted a girl wearing blue jeans, a black t-shirt, sneakers and a dark cap, hiding her hair. A feeling of recognition washed over him as he nudged at Sasuke and whispered, "Oi, Teme, do you think that's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke looked away from the blonde teen and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the mysterious person who was now smiling at them with her green eyes. Who had green eyes like that? Smacking the back of Naruto's head, Sasuke muttered, "You really have to ask that, Dobe?" He left the blonde rubbing his head and continued towards Sakura who had taken off her cap, revealing her bright pink hair.

"Sakura," Sasuke greeted, nodding his head once. She waved at him and peered around the young Uchiha, concerned for Naruto who was now grinning widely. In a flash, she saw a blur of yellow streak towards her and suddenly, she was tackled into a breathless hug. Peering over Naruto's shoulder, Sakura breathed out, "Help, Sasuke?"

Shaking his head at the familiar scene, Sasuke pried off the yellow blob and chided, "Dobe, she can't breathe." Naruto grinned sheepishly and defended, "Sakura- chan, you've been missing for a month! I missed you." He elbowed Sasuke who glared back at the blonde friend and then grunted, "Yeah, me too."

Sakura busted out laughing and waved at them effortlessly before saying, "Sorry, I've been busy lately." Naruto peered a t her with his bright blue eyes and demanded, "With home school?" She nodded, remaining silent, and Sasuke reminded, "Dobe, did you forget that she's home schooled?" Naruto shook his head and whined, "But she could have taken some time off to visit us, right, Teme! I mean, her mom's always keeping her locked up in the house." Sasuke sighed, Naruto always had to bring this up.

Sakura held up a hand, signaling a timeout, and corrected sternly, "Naruto, she 's my _step_ mom." Naruto cringed and muttered a sincere apology. He remembered that Sakura had an iffy relationship with her stepmother. Sensing the blue mood, Sakura beamed and quickly expressed, "Well, my studying sessions ended yesterday so we can hang out today!"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, Naruto to Sasuke and then Sasuke to Sakura. Confused, Sakura felt her smile fade away as an uneasy feeling knotted in the bottom of her stomach. There was something that they needed to tell her. Tilting her head, Sakura mustered her courage to ask, "What's going on?"

Sasuke sighed, reached into the pockets of his dark jeans and pulled out a ring. Lying in the center of his palm was a s silver ring embedded with a kanji character. Sakura took a step forward and glanced at the solemn face of Sasuke. She couldn't believe that they had joined the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki was a secret organization who rarely recruited newcomers. They were the secret crime fighters; the police department only relied on their help when the situations were extreme.

Sakura peered at Naruto and stated, "You joined it, didn't you, Naruto?" Naruto smiled uneasily and nodded, afraid to see her temper. Taking a step back, Sakura assessed the two males; she always knew that they'd be perfect for jobs like this. They were strong and smart. Biting her tongue, she felt a sad feeling. Were they going to leave her behind just like _him_?

Naruto and Sasuke looked at the pink-haired friend who was eerily quiet. This type of silence was the kind they would ex pect when she was disturbed, thinking hard about something. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but then, she questioned, "So what does this mean?" Naruto noticed that her eyes were glassy, almost as if she was holding her tears back, and looked away.

Seeing his troubled look, Sakura felt a sense of desperation shoot through her. Was it _that_ bad? She turned to look at Sasuke, hoping for an answer. Something that could explain all of the sudden craziness. Clenching her hands into fists, Sakura demanded, "What's going to happen to _us_?"

Naruto turned to look at her and gravely answered, "We can't keep seeing each other anymore." Taken aback, Sakura to a step back and looked at Naruto questioningly before she asked, "You mean, Sasuke and you, can't keep meeting with me anymore?" Naruto nodded, feeling guilty, and amended, "But I'm sure we can sneak around that, Sakura-chan!" Sasuke shook his head and said, "No, we can't do that, Dobe." Sakura nodded, agreeing. She didn't want them to get in trouble just for talking with her.

Feeling the need to clarify, Naruto explained, "Being in the Akatsuki, we can't associate with old friends unless they're related to the organization." Sasuke nodded and added, "It's to prevent information leaks, Sakura." Understanding now, Sakura nodded quietly. She wasn't directly associated with the secret organization so that cut her out of the picture.

Staring at them, Sakura asked, "And when did you guys apply to be considered for the opening positions?" Naruto looked a t Sasuke who answered, "Last month." Placing her hands behind her back, Sakura gripped her wrists tightly. If only she was there last month to see them, then maybe they wouldn't have signed up for the Akatsuki? Perhaps they would've thought about her and stayed with her?

Peering at the sky, Sakura remembered _his_ voice that day:

"_One day, I'm going to leave. I'm going t o save Okaa-san's legacy. In order to do that, I must throw away all bonds, Sakura."_

"Oi, Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. Forcing a smile, Sakura looked at the two and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." Seeing Naruto with an arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulder who was pushing Naruto away from him made Sakura feel unable to breathe. The faster she got away from them, the better it would be for her. She would save herself the agony.

Glancing at her wristwatch, Sakura feigned disappointment and said, "Ah, I have to get going or else my step mom's going to get mad at me." She smiled, turned away and waved at them, almost wanting to say that she'd see them soon but she knew that wouldn't happen.

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Naruto watched as Sakura disappeared and muttered, "She must be sad." Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes and walked the other way. Why was he having second thoughts about joining the Akatsuki? He always wanted to join it. Was it because he felt bad for Sakura? He continued to think, zoning out Naruto's whining about not being able to confess to Sakura.

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Shutting the door softly, Sakura walked out of the foyer, past the living room where her stepmother was chatting on the phone and into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, Sakura heard her mother say softly, "Yes, I understand. I will do that." After that, she heard the phone click shut and her step-mom's footsteps heading into the kitchen.

Acting as if she hadn't heard anything, Sakura looked up at her always-sweet stepmother and said, "I came home early like you wanted, Mizuki." She called her stepmother by her first name because they both knew that Mizuki could never fully take the place of Sakura's mother. They had both come to a conclusion to call each other by their first names.

Surprised, Mizuki frowned and asked, "Naruto and Sasuke weren't available, Sakura?" Sipping from a cup of water, Sakura remained composed and lied, "Yeah, they had school projects to plan." Mizuki watched as the stepdaughter walked to the sink, washing her cup silently. She knew that Sakura wanted to attend the same school with her friends.

Mizuki looked at Sakura and asked curiously, "How do you feel about going to a public school?" Sakura stiffened and peered at Mizuki, surprised by the question. Of all the things her mother could ask, why that? Mizuki made it clear that she wanted Sakura home schooled and her father had let Mizuki be in charge of Sakura's education.

Straightening, Sakura replied, "That would be nice, Mizuki." Inwardly, Sakura was suspicious. What brought this sudden change upon her stepmother? Mizuki smiled and cheerfully expressed, "Great! I already enrolled you in a school. I'm so relieved that you agreed, Sakura. Honestly , I wouldn't know what to do if you didn't want to attend a public school." Surprised even more, Sakura felt the urge to ask why. She needed some clarification. Who was this woman? She wasn't her stepmother.

"Mizuki, why do you want me to transfer into a public school?" Sakura inquired. Cleaning the counter simultaneously, Mizuki reasoned, "Well, you see your father and I have been discussing about me getting a job, Sakura. And we've also taken your well-being into consideration. Both of us have come to a conclusion that you should interact with kids your age."

Mizuki looked at Sakura and asked, "Are you dissatisfied, Sakura?" Shaking her head, Sakura smiled and explained, "No, not at all, Mizuki. Are you sure that you want to take on another job?" Mizuki smiled, patting her biceps before saying, "Don't worry, Sakura, I'll be fine. However, will _you_ be okay?"

Sakura gave her a confused look and Mizuki elaborated, "When I was in high school, there were a lot of dangerous people roaming around. If you feel unsafe, tell me. I'll take care of it." Sakura chuckled lightly and said, "Don't worry, if that happens, I'll use my self-defense skills."

"Ah, right, your mother didn't make you take that class for nothing," Mizuki praised, waving as she exited the kitchen with an armful of dirty towels. On the way up the stairs, Sakura heard her step mom yell, "Don't be surprised if you see a uniform!"

Curious, Sakura rushed to her empty room and saw a black blazer with a white-collared, button up blouse tucked underneath and a black skirt draped over her chair. Walking towards the chair, she noticed a tie on her desk and knee-length stockings. Next to the clothing accessories, she saw the school handbook with the title page saying: Welcome to Konoha Leaf High School.

"This can't be happening," Sakura whispered, grabbing the blazer as she stared at the school emblem.

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A/N: new story! **PLEASE REVIEW!**


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